WO2020011028A1

WO2020011028A1 - System and method for information generation and delivery

Info

Publication number: WO2020011028A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/093581
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zhancang WANG; Bo ZHONG
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2018-07-13
Filing date: 2019-06-28
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Also published as: CN109040198A; CN109040198B

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and a method for information generation and delivery. The system for information generation and delivery includes a primary network and a plurality of subnetworks respectively connected to the primary network. The subnetwork includes a plurality of peer nodes. The peer node is configured to generate information. The subnetwork is configured to link and store the information based on a directed acyclic graph. The subnetwork is also configured to deliver the information to the primary network. The primary network is configured to link and store the information in a chain data structure of a blockchain. The peer nodes may be used to generate information quickly. With the directed acyclic graph, multiple link paths may be provided to obtain concurrent information processing capabilities. The primary network may link and store information from the subnetwork in a chain data structure of a blockchain to improve data reliability.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INFORMATION GENERATION AND DELIVERY

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201810770457.9 filed on July 13, 2018.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a communication system, and in particular, to a system and a method for information generation and delivery.

BACKGROUND

It is always a research topic about how to deliver information quickly and accurately in a system with a large number of communication nodes. In some cases, e.g. when an emergency situation such as an earthquake, fire, flood, or landslide occurs or is about to occur, whether information may be transmitted quickly and accurately in an emergency-related area directly affects the safety of life and property.

In conventional technology, professional equipment or professional staff may be deployed in key areas for monitoring. In addition, an ordinary person in an emergency situation may also use the emergency call function provided by a mobile communication device (such as user equipment (UE) ) to directly report emergency information to a central node such as a predetermined emergency dispatching station, and the emergency dispatching station may receive a large number of calls to improve information collection capabilities and speed.

In the case when it is known that an emergency event is occurring or is about to occur, and such information needs to be quickly disseminated, a centralized emergency broadcast system deployed is usually used to broadcast the message (for example, through a short message service (SMS) , etc. ) to notify those around the location of and/or affected by the emergency.

However, the above system has the following problems. First, the deployment of professional equipment or professional staffs leads to high cost, and thus is difficult to be applied to a large scale. Second, when more devices are deployed to cover a large area, patrols and manual measurements may be required. The degree of automation is difficult to be improved and it may involve huge resources to perform daily operations. Then, due to the centralized management, the response time is very slow. In the event of an emergency, this may not be able to meet fast response requirements. Finally, when the central node is damaged for some reason (such as human factors, earthquakes, etc. ) , the broadcast system will not work at all.

There is room for improvement in conventional information generation and delivery systems and methods.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved system and method for information generation and delivery.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for information generation and delivery is provided. The system for information generation and delivery includes: a primary network and a plurality of subnetworks respectively connected to the primary network. The subnetwork includes a plurality of peer nodes. The peer node is configured to generate information. The subnetwork is configured to link and store information based on a directed acyclic graph. The subnetwork is also configured to deliver information to the primary network. The primary network is configured to link and store information in a chain data structure of a blockchain.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the subnetwork is configured to: deliver information among the plurality of peer nodes; and verify the information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract deployed in the subnetwork.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the coherence protocol includes at least one of: Proof of Stake (PoS) , Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) , Practical Byzantine Protocol, Gossip Dissemination Protocol, Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) , Markov Chain Monte Carlo Consensus (MCMC) .

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the smart contract of the subnetwork is deployed via the primary network and runs on a virtual machine of the subnetwork.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the subnetwork is configured to: determine whether the information satisfies a predetermined condition; and transmit the information satisfying the predetermined condition to the primary network.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the subnetwork is configured to transmit information to the primary network, and the primary network is configured to determine if the information satisfies the predetermined condition.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the primary network is configured to, with respect to the information satisfying the predetermined condition, add the information into a chain structure of the blockchain and store the information in a distributed ledger.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, a data block of the distributed ledger includes at least one of: a unique identifier of the subnetwork, a timestamp, a location of the subnetwork, a content of the information, a public key of a previous data block, and a public key of a current data block.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of subnetworks are arranged in a plurality of geographical areas, respectively. The information includes alert information indicating whether an emergency occurs. The emergency includes at least one of earthquake, fire, flood, landslide, and the like. The predetermined condition means that the information indicates the occurrence of an emergency.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes a sensor configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate information based on a detection result.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the environmental parameter includes at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion characteristics.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes user equipment, and the user equipment is configured to generate information by means of automatic or manual reporting.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for information generation and delivery, used in a system for information generation and delivery. The system for information generation and delivery includes a primary network and a plurality of subnetworks respectively connected to the primary network. The subnetwork includes a plurality of peer nodes. The method includes: generating information by a peer node in a subnetwork; linking and storing information by the subnetwork based on a directed acyclic graph; delivering the information to the primary network by the subnetwork; and linking and storing the information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: delivering information among the plurality of peer nodes of the subnetwork; and verifying the information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract deployed in the subnetwork.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the smart contract is deployed via the primary network in the subnetwork. The smart contract of the subnetwork runs on a virtual machine of the subnetwork.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, delivering the information to the primary network by the subnetwork includes: determining whether the information satisfies a predetermined condition; and transmitting the information satisfying the predetermined condition to the primary network.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: determining, by the primary network, whether the information satisfies the predetermined condition.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, linking and storing information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain includes: for the information satisfying the predetermined condition, adding the information into the chain structure of the blockchain and storing the information in a distributed ledger.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes a sensor. Generating information by a peer node in a subnetwork includes the sensor being configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate information based on a detection result.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the environmental parameter includes at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes user equipment. Generating information by a peer node in a subnetwork includes generating information by the user equipment by means of automatic or manual reporting.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a peer node is provided. The peer node includes: a memory; and a processor operatively coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to execute a program to generate information and to link and store the information based on a directed acyclic graph. The peer node is configured to form a subnetwork with other peer nodes.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node is further configured to: deliver information to other peer nodes such that the information is delivered among the plurality of peer nodes of the subnetwork. The peer node is also configured to verify information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, there is further included a sensor configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate information based on the detection result.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor detects an event based on the environmental parameter including at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes user equipment configured to generate information by means of automatic or manual reporting.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is provided. A computer program is stored on the computer readable storage medium, and, when executed on at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any of the above.

In the system and method for information generation and delivery of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the subnetwork includes a plurality of peer nodes, and the peer nodes may be used to quickly generate information. In the subnetwork, based on a directed acyclic graph, the collected information may be linked and stored. By using a directed acyclic graph, multiple link paths may be provided to obtain concurrent information processing capabilities, that is, different information generated by different peer nodes in the subnetwork at the same time stage may be processed in parallel in the multiple different link paths in the subnetwork, without waiting in a unique link path for sequential processing. The primary network may link and store the information from the subnetwork in a chain data structure of a blockchain. The chained chain data structure of the blockchain has the characteristics of sufficient backup and redundancy, easy retrieval and viewing, and difficulty to be tampered with, which may improve data reliability and reduce maintenance costs.

Further, while the subnetwork may comprehensively deliver and store the collected information, the primary network may also only retain the information satisfying the predetermined condition and store it, which may reduce the storage burden of the primary network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be noted that the drawings described below relate only to some embodiments of the present disclosure, not to the limitations of the present disclosure, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a manner of data linking in a system for information generation and delivery according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a primary network 10 of FIG. 1 acquiring data from

subnetworks

201, 202, 203;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart showing a process of information generated by a peer node 300 being authenticated;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a flow of the peer node 300 transmitting the information to other peer nodes;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing a flow of the peer node 300 that receives the information forwarding the information;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram showing the structure of the peer node 300;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flow diagram showing a part of computational logics for subnetwork level operations; and

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flow diagram showing a part of computational logics for primary network level operations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For better clarifying the technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is apparent that the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a manner of data linking in a system for information generation and delivery according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a system for information generation and delivery includes a primary network 10 and a plurality of

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 connected to the primary network 10, respectively. The figure shows the case of three subnetworks, however, it should be understood that the number of subnetworks is not limited, and may be one or any other number greater than one.

By way of example, the primary network 10 may be any computer network, such as various types of local area networks, wide area networks, or portions thereof. In that case, the primary network 10 may include a plurality of computer nodes (not shown) therein, such as a personal computer, a server, or a dedicated computing device of other types, or the like. These nodes may be connected to each other in any network topology. The primary network 10 may provide a human-computer interaction interface to the staff of the system for information generation and delivery, so that the staff may perform monitoring and maintenance at the entire system level. The staff may deploy any program, system, etc. on the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 through the primary network 10.

The subnetwork may include a plurality of peer nodes (not shown) . The peer node is configured to generate information. As an example, the peer node may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device that is easy to deploy, such as an IoT sensor device, to easily acquire and generate information.

As shown in FIG. 1, at the level of the subnetwork, the subnetwork may be configured to link and store information based on a directed acyclic graph. As shown in FIG. 1, a data block 300 corresponds to information generated by a peer node. In a conventional computer network, in order to store and process such information, it is necessary to use one or several central nodes to collect information and perform verification, sorting, storage, and the like in a prescribed format (for example, the data block 300) . In embodiments of the present disclosure, the directed acyclic graph shown in FIG. 1 is used, the data block 300 does not need to be processed in a centralized manner, and whenever new information (i.e., a data block 300) appears, the new data block 300 will be linked to a data block already present in the directed acyclic graph. In the subnetwork of FIG. 1, original data blocks are shown on the left side, and shown from left to right are newly added data blocks that are generated sequentially and then linked to existing data blocks. Thus, when different peer nodes generate different information in the same time period, the different information may also be linked to different branches in the directed acyclic graph, facilitating the processing and storage of information. In addition, such a data linking manner is also convenient for data to be stored in a distributed manner into a plurality of nodes in the subnetwork, so as to ensure that the data is not easily falsified and the decentralization. As an example, when data is little, or the storage capacities of the peer nodes are strong, it may be achieved that all the nodes store a complete backup of the data. In addition, when there is a large amount of data, the complete data may be stored only in a small number of nodes having sufficient storage capacity, and the check information of the data is stored in other stages to ensure the verifiability of the data while reducing the amount of storage.

The

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 are also configured to deliver information to the primary network 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the primary network 10 is configured to link and store information in a chain data structure of a blockchain. The primary network 10 collects information from the subnetworks with certain rules (e.g., at a predetermined period, or upon receiving a message satisfying a predetermined condition) , and forms data blocks 101, 102, 103, ... in a predetermined format. Each data block 101 may include data from all the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 or from a portion thereof at a particular time period. In the primary network 10, similar to the subnetworks, original data blocks are shown on the left side, and what is shown from left to right are newly added data blocks that are generated sequentially and then linked to existing data blocks. In the primary network 10, information is linked and stored in a chain data structure of a blockchain. This may also achieve the purpose of decentralization, and the chain data structure of the blockchain defines a more stringent form of data link, which ensures data reliability and is easy to maintain.

subnetworks

201, 202, 203. As shown in FIG. 2, as an example, the primary network 10 acquires a data block B1 (corresponding to the data block 101 in FIG. 1) in the first time stage, acquires a data block B2 in the second time stage (corresponding to the data block 102 in FIG. 1) and acquires a data block B3 (corresponding to the data block 103 in FIG. 1) in the third time stage. The data blocks B1, B2, B3 may include the same or similar data structure, which may include specific data elements D1, D2, ... DN, for example, the data element D1 may represent data from the subnetwork 201, the data element D2 may represent data from the subnetwork 202, and the data element D3 may represent data from the subnetwork 203. As an example, any of the data elements D1, D2, ... DN of the data block may include the following items: a unique identifier of the subnetwork, a timestamp, alocation of the subnetwork, a content of the information, and the like. In addition, any one of the data blocks B1, B2, B3, and the like may include a public key of the previous data block and a public key of the current data block.

When specific linking is performed, the data block B1 of the first time stage, after being subjected to a process of a predefined verification operation H1 and the like, is combined with an existing data sequence BS0 to form a new data sequence. The verification process may be the process of calculating and saving hash values, or other more complex security algorithms. In this order, the data block B2 of the second time stage, after being subjected to a process of a predefined verification operation H2 and the like, is also linked to a data chain. The same operation is also performed on the data block B3 of the third time stage.

The combined resulting data sequence may be stored in a retrievable manner using a distributed ledger deployed in a node of the primary network 10. The data information contained in the distributed ledger may be shared, copied, and synchronized among the nodes of the primary network 10, which may ensure the authenticity and reliability of the information stored in the primary network 10. Once the data sequence is fixed and stored in the primary network 10, it is difficult for any node in the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203, and the primary network 10 to change it. As an extreme case, potential tamperers will need to control almost all of the nodes that store distributed ledgers at the same time and tamper with them at the same time, which is difficult to implement in practical applications and is considered impossible. Thus, compared to storing and managing data in a centralized form, security and reliability are greatly improved, and costs may be effectively reduced.

FIGs. 1 and 2 show the data structure of the system for information generation and delivery as a whole and a simplified example of the finally obtained data sequence. Hereinafter, the information-related processing at the peer node 300 level, the

subnetwork

201, 202, 203 level, and the primary network 10 level will be further described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. In the process of information generation and delivery, the blockchain related mechanisms may be well applied at various levels of the system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In a particular application, the peer nodes in the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 may be configured to generate a large amount of information at predetermined cycles, for example, the peer nodes may be various sensor devices that monitor environmental parameters in real time. The process of real-time monitoring generates a large amount of information, and in order to reduce the burden on the primary network 10, not all of this information needs to be stored in the network 10. Accordingly, the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 may be configured to: determine whether the information satisfies a predetermined condition; and transmit information satisfying the predetermined condition to the primary network 10. Alternatively, all of the information may be delivered to the primary network 10, and then the primary network 10 determines whether the information satisfies the predetermined condition before storage. With regard to the above example, the predetermined condition may be that a monitored environmental parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold range, and the threshold range may be set according to a real environmental event. For example, a motion characteristic sensor fixed to a mountain may be used to detect whether or not the mountain portion at the fixed position is moved. Unusual movements (acceleration, velocity) outside the threshold range may indicate the occurrence of a landslide. The primary network 10 may only retain messages indicating the occurrence of a particular event such as a landslide and store them, while ignoring messages indicating a normal state. This may greatly reduce the storage load of the primary network 10.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart showing a process of information generated by a peer node 300 being authenticated. In FIG. 3, the information is delivered in the form of a message in a predetermined format. As shown in FIG. 3, in step S310, the peer node 300 that generated information signs a message with a private key. In step S320, the peer node 300 selects and refers to two random messages (unconfirmed messages) as a branch message and a trunk message of said message based on a predefined coherence protocol (e.g., Markov Chain Monte Carlo Consensus (MCMC) ) . In step S330, the peer node 300 provides a proof of work so that the message may be accepted by the network. In step S340, the message is broadcast to the entire network. In step S350, the message is selected and verified by the messages of other nodes, and thus is confirmed to be trusted or not.

Referring to the structure of the subnetwork shown in FIG. 1, in the broadcast process in step S340 and in the message reference and confirmation process in step S350, the message may be referred to along a path formed in the directed acyclic graph, thereby implementing the linking process. In the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) protocol, the goal of processing a message is to make it a consensus message that is accepted and acknowledged by the entire network. All unconfirmed messages refer indirectly to all consensus messages. This means that each confirmed message will have a path from the bottom to it, and the MCMC algorithm may be used to easily calculate the degree of confirmation of the message. For example, if the MCMC algorithm is executed N times, the probability that the entire network accepts the message is M/N, where M is the number of nodes that may go from the bottom of the graph to the message. Setting different probability values can predefine the number of times a message needs to be determined by different nodes. There may be an adjustable balance between the confirmation time and the confirmation effect. The structure of a directed acyclic graph provides a fast and highly concurrent messaging and authentication mechanism.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, according to the structure of the directed acyclic graph, there are a plurality of information link paths in the subnetwork, which improves the concurrency of information linking and confirmation. That is, the structure of the subnetwork satisfies the need for simultaneous linking and confirmation of multiple messages of multiple nodes. Compared to the settings of the chain data structure in the blockchain wherein different messages may be processed only sequentially, more messages in the subnetworks are transmitted and acknowledged faster. Multiple paths also better prevent node failures and are more efficient at eliminating failed nodes while maintaining network integrity. This is very beneficial when monitoring an emergency.

It should be understood that any other blockchain related transaction generation and authentication mechanisms may be applied. In this system, messages will be treated as conventional transactions, which improves the reliability of the messages.

There is no restriction on the consistence protocol. For example, the above-mentioned coherence protocol may also be any one of: Proof of Stake (PoS) , Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) , Practical Byzantine Protocol, Gossip Dissemination Protocol, Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) . The coherence protocol based authentication process may be implemented by smart contracts deployed in the subnetworks, which may simplify the specific implementation of the coherence protocol.

A specific point-to-point information transmission process in the subnetwork will be described below. At the peer node 300 level, peer nodes 300 in any of the subnetworks are configured to generate information and deliver information to other peer nodes 300 in the subnetwork.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a flow of the peer node 300 transmitting information to other peer nodes. As shown in FIG. 4, in order to broadcast a message to the entire network, the peer node 300 firstly needs to send the message to other peer nodes. In step S410, the peer node 300 generates a message. In step S420, a random peer node is selected as the target node. In step S430, the message is sent to the selected target node. In step S440, it is determined whether the transmission is successful. As an example, whether or not the transmission is successful may be determined by whether a response of the target node is received. If the transmission is successful, in step S450, the current transmission task is completed, and the current data session is maintained. If the transmission fails, in step S460, it is determined whether another candidate node is still available as the target node. As a specific example, after the transmission fails, the retransmission process may be attempted for a predetermined number of times, and if the retransmission arrives at the predetermined number of times, it is determined to be a failure. If there is not another candidate node, in step S470, a message of a request failure is fed back. If there is another candidate node that may serve as a new target node, then S430 is repeated, and the message is sent to the new target node.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing a flow of the peer node 300 that receives the information forwarding the information. As shown in FIG. 5, in step S501, the present peer node 300 receives the message. In step S502, it is determined whether the information is transmitted by the present peer node. This determination may be made by reading the identity (ID) of the peer node in the message indicating the sender of the message.

If it is the information transmitted by the present node, it is determined in step S503 whether there is content that needs to be updated for the information, that is, whether the event condition represented by the information has changed. If no update is needed, apredetermined time is waited in step S504 and the message is rebroadcast. If an update is required, in step S505, a new message with the updated content is constructed. Then in step S506, a new message is broadcast and the received original message is rebroadcast.

If it is not the message transmitted by the present node, it is determined in step S507 whether or not it has been broadcast by the present node. If it has been broadcast, step S503 is performed. If not, in step S508, it is detected whether or not there is data capable of enhancing the information. These data may be obtained by the present node by means of autonomous detection. If such data does not exist, the information is directly rebroadcast in step S509. If such data exists, then in step S510, a new message with enhanced content is constructed. In step S511, the new message is broadcast, and the received original message is rebroadcast.

According to the description of FIG. 5, the peer node 300 that receives the information may not only forward the message, but also analyze and judge the message according to predetermined logic, and generate new information. The system for information generation and delivery is well decentralized, and each peer node 300 may trigger a predetermined event in response to the message. Message-related events will be processed in a timelier manner, and related users may get information notifications and react more quickly.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram showing the structure of the peer node 300. As shown in FIG. 6, the peer node 300 includes: a memory 601, a communication module 602, and a processor 603 operatively coupled to the memory 601 and the communication module 602. The processor 603 is configured to execute a program to generate information and to link and store the information based on the directed acyclic graph described above.

Moreover, as has been described previously, a peer node may deliver information to other peer nodes such that the information is delivered among multiple peer nodes of the subnetwork. The peer node may also verify the information via the coherence protocol based on the smart contract.

Further, in order to generate information related to the real environment, the peer node 300 may further include a sensor 604 configured to detect an event and generate information based on the detected event. As a specific example, the sensor 604 detects an event based on an environmental parameter including at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion, and the like. The sensor 604 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor, and such a peer node 300 may be deployed quickly in large quantities at a low cost, to monitor environmental parameters over a wide area. The Internet of Things (IoT) sensor may be well suited for an application which can be rapid deployed and stablely and regularly acquire monitored information over long periods of time.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node 300 may also include a user interface 605 such that the peer node 300 may also be considered a dedicated user equipment (UE) . The user interface 605 causes a slight increase in cost, however, deploying such user equipment at a particular node may improve the operability of the system.

It should be understood that the peer node 300 may likewise be conventional user equipment such as a smart phone. Such peer node 300 does not have a dedicated sensor, but may be configured to generate information by means of automatic or manual reporting. The user equipment such as a smart phone moves with the user, which may be closer to the user's needs, and to some extent compensate for the defect that the deployed sensor is not easy to move.

As an advantageous application, the plurality of

subnetworks

201, 202, 203 composed of the above-mentioned peer nodes 300 may be arranged in a plurality of geographical areas, respectively, for geting alert information about an emergency. The emergency may include at least one of earthquake, fire, flood, landslide, and the like. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node 300 may use a sensor to automatically generate event information of the emergency described above, and may further include user equipment to receive information reported by the user. The sensor may be an Internet of Things sensor or the like that is easy to deploy in a large amount and has a low cost, and the user equipment may be a smartphone or the like used by a large number of users. The combination of sensor and user equipment may enhance the reliability of information, and when the user equipment is directly located in the subnetwork, information delivered in the subnetwork may be acquired more quickly and presented directly to the user without waiting for any dedicated central node to collect and broadcast information. This is especially useful when notifying users of natural disasters that occur nearby. Natural disaster-related information automatically detected by the sensor device may be directly delivered to nearby users at the earliest time, which helps to reduce personnel and property losses.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flow diagram showing a part of computational logics for subnetwork level operations. As shown in FIG. 7, in step S710, information is linked, verified, and stored by the subnetwork based on a smart contract. In step S720, it is judged whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. In step S730, information is delivered to the primary network. The smart contract may be deployed by the staff via the primary network 10 and run on a virtual machine of the subnetwork.

Based on the smart contract, the verification result and the judgment result at the subnetwork level may be a combination of the verification and judgment structures of the plurality of peer nodes for the same information, and such combination may be a manner of voting by the whole or any other information combination manner. At the subnetwork level, the information generated by the peer nodes is verified and judged, and interference to the subnetwork from a small number of damaged or malicious nodes may be avoided.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flow diagram showing a part of computational logics for primary network level operations. As shown in FIG. 8, in step S810, information from a plurality of subnetworks is verified by the primary network based on the smart contracts running on the virtual machine deployed on the primary network. In step S820, a verification result of the information by the primary network is generated. In step S830, the verified information from the plurality of subnetworks is combined in a chain data structure. In step S840, the combined information is stored in a retrievable manner in a distributed ledger.

Referring to the data structure in FIG. 2, as an example, the verification process may be simply shown as H1, H2, H3 in FIG. 2. After the data is stored in the distributed ledger, the nodes in the

subnetworks

201, 202, 203, as well as the primary network 10 will not be able to make secondary changes thereto. Intended malicious tampering is considered to be extremely costly and almost impossible to achieve.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a method for information generation and delivery, used in the above system for information generation and delivery. The method includes: generating information by a peer node in a subnetwork; linking and storing information by the subnetwork based on a directed acyclic graph; delivering the information to the primary network by the subnetwork; and linking and storing the information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: delivering information among the plurality of peer nodes of the subnetwork; and verifying the information via the coherence protocol based on the smart contract deployed in the subnetwork.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, linking and storing information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain includes: for the information satisfying the predetermined condition, adding the information into the chain data structure of the blockchain and storing the information in a distributed ledger.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the peer node includes a sensor. Generating information by a peer node in a subnetwork includes the sensor being configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate information based on the detection result.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable storage medium. Stored on a computer readable storage medium is a computer program that, when executed on at least one processor, causes at least one processor to perform the method of any of the above.

In the system and method for information generation and delivery of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the subnetwork includes a plurality of peer nodes, and the peer nodes may be used to quickly generate information. In a subnetwork, based on a directed acyclic graph, such collected information may be linked and stored. Using a directed acyclic graph, multiple link paths may be provided to obtain concurrent information processing capabilities. Namely, different information generated by different peer nodes in the subnetwork at the same time stage may be processed in parallel in the multiple different link paths in the subnetwork, without waiting in a unique link path for sequential processing. The primary network may link and store the information from the subnetwork in a chain data structure of a blockchain, to improve data reliability.

Such system and method for information generation and delivery are particularly well suited for emergency alert broadcasts, wherein emergency messages may be quickly generated, authenticated, delivered, and efficiently stored. These processes no longer require human intervention or a dedicated central node. The response speed for emergency is expected to be greatly improved, and the safety of life and property related to emergencies is expected to be better guaranteed.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments employed to explain the principles of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

A system for information generation and delivery, comprising a primary network, and a plurality of subnetworks respectively connected to the primary network, wherein the subnetwork comprises a plurality of peer nodes,

the peer node is configured to generate the information,

the subnetwork is configured to link and store the information based on a directed acyclic graph,

the subnetwork is further configured to deliver the information to the primary network, and

the primary network is configured to link and store the information in a chain data structure of a blockchain.
The system of claim 1, wherein

the subnetwork is configured to deliver the information among the plurality of peer nodes, and verify the information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract deployed in the subnetwork.
The system of claim 2, wherein

the coherence protocol comprises at least one of: Proof of Stake (PoS) , Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) , Practical Byzantine Protocol, Gossip Dissemination Protocol, Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) , Markov Chain Monte Carlo Consensus (MCMC) .
The system of claim 2, wherein the smart contract of the subnetwork is deployed via the primary network and runs on a virtual machine of the subnetwork.
The system of claim 2, wherein the subnetwork is configured to determine whether the information satisfies a predetermined condition, and transmit information satisfying the predetermined condition to the primary network.
The system of claim 2, wherein the subnetwork is configured to transmit the information to the primary network, and the primary network is configured to determine whether the information satisfies the predetermined condition.
The system of claim 5 or 6, wherein

the primary network is configured to, for the information satisfying the predetermined condition, add the information into the chain data structure of the blockchain and store the information in a distributed ledger.
The system of claim 7, wherein

a data block of the distributed ledger comprises at least one of: aunique identifier of the subnetwork, a timestamp, a location of the subnetwork, a content of the information, a public key of a previous data block, and a public key of a current data block.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein

the plurality of subnetworks are arranged in a plurality of geographical areas, respectively,

the information comprises alert information indicating whether an emergency occurrs, and

the emergency comprises at least one of earthquake, fire, flood, landslide, and the like,

wherein the predetermined condition means that the information indicates the occurrence of an emergency.
The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein

the peer node comprises a sensor configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate the information based on a detection result.
The system of claim 10, wherein the environmental parameter comprises at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion characteristics.
The system of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the peer node comprises user equipment configured to generate the information by means of automatic or manual reporting.
A method for information generation and delivery, used in a system for information generation and delivery,

wherein the system for information generation and delivery comprises a primary network and a plurality of subnetworks respectively connected to the primary network, wherein the subnetwork comprises a plurality of peer nodes;

the method comprises:

generating the information by the peer node in the subnetwork;

linking and storing the information by the subnetwork based on a directed acyclic graph;

delivering the information to the primary network by the subnetwork; and

linking and storing the information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain.
The method of claim 13, further comprising:

delivering the information among the plurality of peer nodes of the subnetwork; and

verifying the information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract deployed in the subnetwork.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the coherence protocol comprises at least one of: Proof of Stake (PoS) , Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) , Practical Byzantine Protocol, Gossip Dissemination Protocol, Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) , Markov Chain Monte Carlo Consensus (MCMC) .
The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deploying a smart contract on the subnetwork via the primary network; wherein the smart contract of the subnetwork runs on a virtual machine of the subnetwork.
The method of claim 14, wherein delivering the information to the primary network by the subnetwork comprises:

determining whether the information satisfies a predetermined condition; and

transmitting information satisfying the predetermined condition to the primary network.
The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the primary network, whether the information satisfies the predetermined condition.
The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein linking and storing the information by the primary network in a chain data structure of a blockchain comprises: for the information satisfying the predetermined condition, adding the information into the chain data structure of the blockchain and storing the information in a distributed ledger.
The method of claim 19, wherein

a data block of the distributed ledger comprises at least one of: a unique identifier of the subnetwork, a timestamp, a location of the subnetwork, a content of the information, a public key of a previous data block, and a public key of a current data block.
The method of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein

the plurality of subnetworks are arranged in a plurality of geographical areas, respectively,

the information comprises alert information indicating whether an emergency has occurred, and

the emergency comprises at least one of earthquake, fire, flood, landslide, and the like,

wherein the predetermined condition means that the information indicates the occurrence of an emergency.
The method of any of claims 13 to 18, wherein the peer node comprises a sensor, and

generating information by the peer node in the subnetwork comprises the sensor being configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate the information based on the detection result.
The method of claim 22, wherein the environmental parameter comprises at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion.
The method of any of claims 13 to 18, wherein the peer node comprises user equipment, and

generating information by the peer node in the subnetwork comprises generating, by the user equipment, the information by means of automatic or manual reporting.
A peer node, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory;

wherein the processor is configured to execute a program to generate information, and to link and store the information based on a directed acyclic graph, wherein the peer node is configured to form a subnetwork with other peer nodes.
The peer node of claim 25, further configured to deliver the information to the other peer nodes such that the information is delivered among a plurality of peer nodes of the subnetwork,

wherein the peer node is further configured to verify the information via a coherence protocol based on a smart contract.
The peer node of claim 25, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect an environmental parameter and generate the information based on the detection result.
The peer node of claim 27, wherein

the sensor detects the event based on the environmental parameter, and the environmental parameter comprises at least one of temperature, humidity, illumination, smoke, flame, sound, vibration, air pollution, gas, and motion.
The peer node of claim 25, comprising:

user equipment configured to generate the information by means of automatic or manual reporting.
A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, the computer program, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 13 to 24.